Fast virtual media KVM system

1. A keyboard-mouse-video (KVM) system, comprising:

a KVM switch having a first controller;

a ROC unit having a second controller; and

a cable which connects the ROC unit to the KVM switch, the cable a first pair of wires and a second pair of wires, and

wherein

the first controller is configured to transmit and the second controller is configured to receive an Ethernet signal using the first pair of wires, and

the second controller is configured to simultaneously transmit and the first controller is configured to receive a common-mode serial signal and a differential-mode component video signal using the second pair of wires.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the KVM switch comprises a plurality of server ports and wherein the ROC unit is coupled to one of the plurality of server ports.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the ROC unit is coupled to a server.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the KVM switch further comprises a network port and wherein the first controller is further configured to connect the KVM switch to a remote client using the network port.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first controller is further configured to connect the remote client to the server.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second controller is further configured to transmit a DC signal on the first pair of wires as a common mode reference for the common-mode serial signal received from the second controller.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cable further includes a third pair of wires and a fourth pair of wires, wherein the second controller is further configured to transmit a differential-mode component video signal and one of a common-mode vertical sync signal and a common-mode horizontal sync signal on each of the third pair of wires and the fourth pair of wires.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cable is a CAT5 cable, a CAT6 cable, or a CAT7 cable.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the Ethernet signal is transmitted at a rate of 100 Mbit/sec unidirectionally by the first controller and received by the second controller.

10. A keyboard-mouse-video (KVM) system, comprising:

a KVM switch having a first controller;

a ROC unit having a second controller; and

a cable which connects the ROC unit to the KVM switch, the cable having a first pair of wires and a second pair of wires, and

wherein

the first controller is configured to transmit and the second controller is configured to receive an Ethernet signal using the first pair of wires, and

the second controller is configured to transmit and the first controller is configured to receive a common-mode serial signal and a differential-mode component video signal using the second pair of wires.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the KVM switch comprises a plurality of server ports, and wherein the first controller is further configured to

transmit a serial query signal to each of the plurality of server ports,

wait for a response from each of the plurality of server ports,

send the Ethernet signal to each of the plurality of server ports that do not respond to the serial signal,

identify at least one server port having a fast virtual media ROC unit connected thereto, and

obtain a MAC address from the common-mode serial signal transmitted by the second controller of the fast virtual media ROC unit.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the KVM switch further comprises a multi-port Ethernet switch and a multi-port Ethernet switch lookup table, and wherein the first controller is further configured to initialize the multi-port Ethernet switch lookup table by providing the MAC address and a server port identification for the at least one server port having a fast virtual media ROC unit connected thereto.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the KVM switch further comprises an Ethernet PHY transmitter, and wherein each of the Ethernet switch receive inputs of the multi-port Ethernet switch is connected to the Ethernet PHY transmitter to put each port of the multi-port Ethernet switch into a forced link-up mode.

14. A keyboard-mouse-video (KVM) system, comprising:

a cable including a first pair of wires and a second pair of wires;

a switch coupled to the cable and inducting a first controller, the first controller configured to:

transmit an Ethernet signal on the first pair of wires, and

receive a common-mode serial signal on the second pair of wires; and

a peripheral unit coupled to the cable and including a second controller, the second controller configured to:

receive the Ethernet signal from the first pair of wires, and

simultaneously transmit the common-mode serial signal and a first differential-mode component video signal using the second pair of wires.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the cable further includes a third pair of wires, wherein the second controller is further configured to simultaneously transmit a second differential-mode component video signal and a common-mode vertical sync signal on the third pair of wires.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the cable further includes a fourth pair of wires, wherein the second controller is further configured to simultaneously transmit a third differential-mode component video signal and a common-mode horizontal sync signal on the fourth pair of wires.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the second controller is further configured to transmit a DC signal on the first pair of wires.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first controller is further configured to determine a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) signal based on a comparison of the common-mode serial signal and the DC signal.